Python Final Exam Study Guide (with Definitions)
Chapter 5 – Lists & Dictionaries
List: A mutable ordered collection of items indexed starting at 0.
Mutable: An object whose contents can be changed after creation.
Tuple: An immutable ordered collection of items.
Dictionary: A collection of key:value pairs used for fast lookups.
Index: The position of an item in a list.
append(): Adds one item to the end of a list.
extend(): Adds all items from another list.
insert(): Places an item at a specific index.
pop(): Removes and returns an item from a list.
sort(): Sorts a list in ascending order.
Parameter: A variable listed in a function definition.
Argument: The actual value passed to a function.
Chapter 6 – Design with Functions
Function: A reusable block of code that performs a specific task.
Abstraction: Hiding implementation details while exposing only what is needed.
Top-down design: Breaking a large problem into smaller functions.
Stepwise refinement: Gradually adding detail to solve a problem.
Namespace: The collection of variable names and their values.
Module variable: A variable defined outside any function.
Local variable: A variable created inside a function.
Scope: Where a variable can be accessed.
Lifetime: How long a variable exists while a program runs.
Default argument: A parameter given a default value in the function header.
Chapter 9 – Graphical User Interfaces
GUI: Graphical User Interface that uses windows, buttons, and text fields.
Terminal program: A text-based program that runs in the console.
Event-driven programming: Programming where user actions trigger code.
Widget: A GUI component such as a button or label.
EasyFrame: The parent class used in breezypythongui.
Instance variable: A variable beginning with self that belongs to an object.
Label: Displays text.
Entry field: Accepts user input.
Command button: Executes code when clicked.
Grid layout: Organizes widgets into rows and columns.
sticky: Keyword used to control widget alignment.
Chapter 11 – Data Analysis & Visualization
Dataset: A collection of related data values.
Mean: The arithmetic average.
Median: The middle value after sorting.
Mode: The value that appears most often.
Standard deviation: Measures how spread out data values are.
NumPy: A Python library for numerical computing.
pandas: A Python library for data analysis.
DataFrame: A table of rows and columns in pandas.
Pie chart: Shows parts of a whole.
Bar chart: Compares categories.
Line plot: Shows trends over time.
Scatter plot: Shows relationships between two variables.
Histogram: Shows the frequency distribution of data.
Quick Memory Tips
• Lists = ordered & mutable
• Tuples = ordered & immutable
• Dictionaries = key:value pairs
• Mean=average, Median=middle, Mode=most frequent
• Histogram=frequency, Scatter=relationship, Line=trend, Bar=compare, Pie=percentages
• GUI = event-driven; Terminal = prompt-driven